Karima BrownShow

Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi recently expressed his concern about the influx of illegal immigrants saying it is causing a strain on our health system.

The minister referred to the high percentage of immigrants in hospitals, saying that this was leading to overcrowding and heightening the possibility diseases being spread.

In 2015, former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu expressed similar sentiments, saying that often “nine out of 10” patients in provincial health facilities were immigrants.

What the minister is doing is conflating illegal and legal presence claiming that is leading to dysfunctionality in the health department. Failure to deliver adequate healthcare has nothing to do with the foreign migrants that are in the country, but with management issues that is unable to run the hospital well.

— Raymond Suttner Scholar & Political Analyst

Professor Suttner told Joanne that the minister speaks of a concern with illegal immigrants yet presents no statistics.